[Oral osmotic hydromorphone (OROS) in patients with chronic severe pain due to osteoarthritis under daily routine conditions]. / OROS-hydromorphon bei starken chronischen Arthroseschmerzen. Einsatz unter klinischen Routinebedingungen.

OBJECTIVE: Objective of this prospective, non-interventional study was to obtain data under a therapy with oral osmotic hydromorphone (OROS) in patients with chronic severe pain due to osteoarthritis under daily routineconditions. METHOD: Using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) patients assessed pain relief as well as the impact of pain on activities of daily living. Pain control, treatment satisfaction (by patient and investigator), physical therapy capability and the WOMAC-Index (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis) were additionally evaluated. Adverse events were continuously monitored throughout the study. RESULTS: 206 patients with chronic severe pain due to osteoarthritis and an initial pain intensity of 6 (NRS 0-10) received oral OROS-hydromorphone for three months. Under this treatment pain relief as well as the impact of pain on activities of daily living improved significantly. At the last examination, the patients reported a mean pain reduction of 2.5 (rest)/3.0 (movement) by day and of 2.6 (rest)/3.1 (movement) bynight (p < 0.0001). The very good pain control was accompanied by a high treatment satisfaction and an improved sleep quality. Physical therapy capability improved in 77.9% of the patients, the WOMAC index as indicator of pain and function in osteoarthritis decreased significantly from 13.3 (baseline) to 7.5 (V6). The most frequently reported adverse events were obstipation, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. 17.5% of the patients cut the study short because of adverse events. CONCLUSION: The treatment of patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis with oral osmotic hydromorphone resulted in a significant reduction of all documented pain related assessments.

[Influence of pain perception, morbidity and mood on functional impairment in elderly chronic pain patients]. / Einfluss von Schmerzwahrnehmung, Morbidität und aktueller Stimmung auf funktionelle Beeinträchtigung Alterer mit chronischen Schmerzen.

The purpose of the study was to address the impact of pain perception, morbidity and mood on functional impairment in elderly chronic pain patients. Multimorbid pain patients beyond the age of 65 in two geriatric hospitals (n = 84), a pain clinic (n = 60) and three general practices (n = 117) provided information about pain perception, comorbidity, additional symptoms and mood by means of the "Structured Pain Interview for Geriatric Patients", the "Cumulative Illness Rating Scale" and a list of symptoms. Data analysis relied on stepwise multiple regression with variables of pain perception entered in the first step, of morbidity entered in the second step and of mood entered in the third step. Although patients believe that pain is the main reason for their functional impairment (71.3%), the data do not support this assumption. Increasing morbidity and bad mood have more impact to reduced functional performance than the pain perception. Our results support the recommendation that a multimodal program should be offered to even multimorbid and older people with chronic pain in order to achieve a maximum of functional rehabilitation.

[Pain assessment in the geriatric patient. Part I: pain diagnostics]. / Schmerzdiagnostik und -therapie in der Geriatrie. Teil I: Schmerzdiagnostik.

The geriatric pain patient is a frail patient at risk of losing the ability to take care of him/herself and, therefore, at risk of losing personal independence. There is a growing probability of comorbidity and of cognitive impairment with increasing age. One of the main objectives of geriatrics is the preservation and promotion of the capacity to perform everyday tasks (activity) and to participate in social life (participation). Comorbidity impacts on disability to a higher degree than pain does. Cognitive restrictions contribute to a decreased validity of the assessment instruments. For these reasons, geriatric assessment has to be multidimensional and has to take into account the patient's psychological and social situation in addition to the pain and physical status. In geriatrics, a set of standardized instruments is used to accomplish this task. It may not be practical to handle the whole set in the practice of the pain specialist; nevertheless, some simple measures for the assessment of functional as well as cognitive status should be incorporated into the diagnostic procedure for the elderly pain patient. Written questionnaires should not be used in cases of sensory or cognitive impairment of the patient. The adequate tool for these patients is a structured pain interview.

[Comorbidity, multiple medication, and well-being in elderly patients with chronic pain]. / Komorbidität, Multimedikation und Befinden bei älteren Patienten mit chronischen Schmerzen.

Consecutive patients with a minimum age of 65 years and at least one additional diagnosis participated in a standardized interview during the initial assessments in two geriatric hospitals ( n=86), a multidisciplinary pain center ( n=60), and three primary care practices ( n=117). The average age of the total sample was 76.29 years (SD=7.40); females constituted 73.3% of the sample. The average number of drugs consumed by the patients amounted to 7.31 (SD=2.66) with a maximum number of 19 drugs. Nearly three-quarters of the patients indicated a reduction in their pain by avoiding physical activity. Every second patient often felt depressed and without energy. The most frequent symptoms were a dry mouth, sleep disorders, fatigue, constipation, and dizziness. Patients from the geriatric hospitals were older and better educated, reported fewer painful body regions, indicated lower intensity and duration of pain as well as a lower number of pain medications. On the other hand, they were characterized by a higher intensity of comorbidity and by increased functional impairment. Patients from the pain clinic suffered more frequently from pain in the hip and the pelvis. They took stage I analgesics more often and admitted more frequently to adjusting the drug consumption to changes in well-being and situational factors. They felt the highest amount of impairment in their social activities. Nevertheless, they expressed the highest confidence in future improvement.

[A structured pain interview for geriatric patients]. / Ein strukturiertes Schmerzinterview für geriatrische Patienten.

BACKGROUND: In old age, assessment of pain often is hampered by sensory and cognitive deficits that do not allow the patients to fill in standardized questionnaires without help from significant others. Therefore, as an alternative, we developed a structured pain interview, and examined its properties and acceptance in a sample of geriatric patients with pain. METHODS: The interview covers site of pain, intensity of pain, its duration and persistency, pain related disability and, finally, emotional and cognitive variables. In addition, the interviewer addresses significant others to get information about medication, previous treatment, and residence, and administers the Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE). The analysis includes 128 patients of pain centers older than 74 years, of whom 80% are female. RESULTS: Forty percent of the subjects score below the critical MMSE value < or =23 indicative of cognitive impairment. These patients are responsible for 36 out of a total of 39 missing values. A significant increase of missing values is observed in patients with a MMSE score below 10. Cognitive impairment goes along with greater functional and social disability. On the other hand, cognitive impairment is unrelated to localization, intensity, and duration of pain. The memory item of the MMSE can be used as a screening tool for cognitive impairment. Patients, who are unable to recall any of the three objects, comprise 80% of the total of missing values and demonstrate a low MMSE score. CONCLUSION: As long as geriatric patients are able to communicate verbally, they are most likely to profit from the structured pain interview in spite of existing cognitive impairment. A MMSE score <10 indicates that the interpretation of the data obtained may be difficult, especially due to a high frequency of missing values.

[Differentiating between intensity and frame of mind in patients with chronic pain.]. / Differenzierung zwischen Schmerzintensität und Gemütsverfassung bei chronischen Schmerzpatienten.

Chronic pain is a complex experience that may change the life of the patient totally. Being influenced by numerous factors, communication between the physician and the patient on such a complex experience is not always easy. The question of how patients differentiate between the intensity of their pain and their mood state was investigated in our study with the use of a new method-the dolorimeter- in 200 patients. Our results showed that the new method is appropriate to evaluate the intensity of pain in patients with chronic pain, but no to explore the patient's psychological state. The patients' assessment showed clearly that they preferred the dolorimeter to evaluate their pain intensity while they preferred a verbal scale (Profile of Mood States) to describe their mood state.